LONDON (AFP) - The Internet auction site eBay bowed to pressure and stopped selling tickets for the London Live8 concert to increase awareness of African poverty due to be held on July 2.
More than two million mobile phone text messages were sent in a lottery to win the 150,000 free tickets to the show, starring Paul McCartney, Elton John and REM, among others.
But no sooner had the first tickets been allocated than some began appearing Tuesday for sale on eBay.
Irish pop star-turned aid activist Bob Geldof, who is organising the event, described the sales as "sick" and threatened to launch a court case to force eBay to end them.
Geldof told Tuesday's Daily Mirror newspaper that he was furious at eBay for allowing the sales, labelling the firm "an electronic pimp".
